


Blood+ Russian Rose Volume I I

by BallisticStringInstruments



Category: Blood+ (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28829652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BallisticStringInstruments/pseuds/BallisticStringInstruments
Summary: This is a fan translation of the prologue of Russian Rose II.  I can probably only do excerpts of the rest of the book because of how long translating a page takes, but if anyone has any specific excerpts they would be interested in, let me know the page ranges in the comments and I can try give it a go.Caveat:  While I am studying Japanese, I am nowhere near the level required to translate a book.  As a result, there will be errors in this translation and I have no idea where they are.  Sorry.All rights to the author Karino Minazuki.  Also, I don’t have rights to Blood+.
Relationships: Hagi/Otonashi Saya
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	Blood+ Russian Rose Volume I I

A thin column of smoke was rising over a grove of trees in the mountains.

Haji apathetically watched it from the window of the carriage he was riding in. Facing him in the carriage, a richly attired old man was seated. He had appeared saying he was looking for a playmate for his daughter, bought Haji from his parents and made him change into high quality clothes; a dark blue jacket, gray shorts, and for the first time, leather shoes. But Haji knew, these things were not given to him. 

They were for the sake of the people watching.  
"It's okay. I'm sure you can get along,” the old man said in a gentle voice to Haji, who kept looking out the carriage window. While he could have sent a messenger, it was done, and looking at the way the old man himself arrived, it seems that his daughter and others were very much taken care of. However, Haji couldn’t fathom why the man wouldn’t look for a playmate in a rich house similar to his own.

A thin column of smoke was rising over the grove of trees.

In the group of Romani gypsies that Haji was from, it was a long-standing practice that when someone died or disappeared, all their belongings and items connected to that person were burnt, to complete their departure. By this time, they were probably burning his things.

Haji blinked once.

That smoke was smoke of mourning.

At his arrival at the mansion, he was met by a girl called Saya. With dark winning eyes, she looked down at him. She wrinkled her crisp eyebrows and took a good look at Haji in his entirety, a pondering expression on her face.

Was a Romani child so rare for a such young lady? Haji thought so, when suddenly Saya took a step, causing her to part his bangs. He barely resisted retreating, her fingertips touching his forehead slightly. Contrary to her arrogant attitude, the gesture was surprisingly awkward. It reminded Haji of the feeling of wondering if one could reach out to a chick that had fallen from its nest. He looked away from the strangely uncomfortable eyes. In response, Saya bent over and met his gaze without causing him embarrassment, looking at him, her eyes big, surprisingly clear and curious. After staring blankly, Saya looked back at the old man behind them.  
"Did Joel choose this outfit?" she asked herself, and, not waiting for a reply, turned around again and touched Haji's braided hair.  
“It’s alright …?”  
As soon as she said that, she suddenly turned on her heels flew away to her room in a flash. Within a moment she was back, holding some ribbons in her hand. Saya looked at Haji as if to examine him again, and then made a selection. She quickly tied a dark blue ribbon to the end of his braid and smiled with satisfaction.  
"After all, this colour suits your eye colour the best. This is perfect.”

Joel just watched over the scene with a bitter smile, saying nothing. The colour really did match the standing boy, and he seemed to nod slightly. The young lady seemed to be pleased with her new “doll”. Given his new role, it seemed like the times of being able to wake up when he wanted were over, Haji thought to himself.

Soon after, Haji realised that Saya was selfish, and he had paid a high price for a comfortable place to wake up. Her behaviour might have been unavoidable, she seemed like a sheltered girl who had never stepped foot outside the house, but even well-bred people should know how to properly interact with their underlings. However, Saya always wanted her own way. Moreover, if her orders were not followed she would raise her sharp eyebrows and rage at him. While she looked four or five years older than himself, she acted more like a naive child.

“Not like that, the bow should move more straight along the strings,”  
It was always the same, the irritation that carried in Saya’s voice. Recently the young lady had become tired of her orders and had come up with the so called “play” of teaching Haji the cello in his free time. However, there was no way that someone like her, without the will to effectively communicate, would be able to teach such a skill. Usually Saya ended these sessions with a one-sided scream of frustration.

Haji was tired and stopped. Immediately, the skin between Saya's eyebrows began to crease.  
"What?"  
Sure enough, she was angry that things hadn’t gone as planned.  
"Play!”  
Even though he knew the outcome, Haji threw away the bow in frustration over Saya’s insufferable tone. For a moment, across Saya's face, her upset feelings were on full display. However, she immediately raised her eyebrows.  
"What are you doing? I’m going to the bother of teaching you many things because Joel asked me to.”  
For some reason, today, words he would usually forgive (or at least ignore) hung in the air awkwardly. 

Haji lost his temper.  
"It's none of your business,” he snapped.

Saya vacillated for half a moment in response to Haji’s attitude. She glared at him and said, “… If you are going to be my friend, you should at least be able to play the cello.”  
“I am able to sing and dance quite well,” he retorted bluntly. In fact singing and dancing had been a part of his life from his earliest memories. Those skills were also a source of livelihood, but after dinner in good weather his people would start singing and dancing, which was a lot more fun than dancing at a festival or bar.

"Well, then show me."  
She tells him to try, perhaps hearing the defeat in Haji’s words.  
“Do you dance with such annoyed feelings?” Saya continued to the still silent Haji.  
"I'll accompany you."

It was her best attempt at a truce. When he didn’t respond, she screamed at him, annoyed.  
“So you can’t? If you can’t tell me, go back home to where you came from!”

… go back home … ?

Suddenly Haji remembered that first day, the day he was brought to the mansion.

A distant column of fine smoke that melts away. That was smoke of mourning.

"...OK"  
He bit his lower lip and released it, then Haji brazenly raised his face.  
"I'll do anything. I'll do anything even at night. I was bought for you with money anyway!"  
Immediately after he spat out these words, realisation struck him. Although he naturally became an adult while suffering from discrimination and curiosity of others, he was still only 12 years old. He wondered where this house really was, and where the mountains, where his group was originally from, were. He didn't even know.

That smoke was smoke of mourning.

He could see Saya in the corner of his field of view. Her eyebrows, raised in astonishment at first, slowly sank. Was she looking at him like he was so pitiful? On top of his feelings of abandonment, Haji also felt annoyance.  
"Don't look at me with that kind of expression!”  
In that the moment, Haji realised something was sliding down his cheek. Was he crying? Freely? In front of such a proud young lady. When he tried to roughly wipe it away, Saya weakly muttered, “… I don’t understand.”  
Haji instinctively raised his gaze to hers.  
"What should I do in a situation like this?”  
The glint of victory in her eyes transformed to the glint of tears. It was as if she could see she had done something wrong but couldn’t work out exactly what.  
"-!?"  
In the next moment, Haji found himself pulled to Saya’s chest in a hug. He was surprised by the heat from her warm skin. After a brief attempt to escape the embrace, Saya lent down and kissed away the tears on his cheek.  
"... Toushii. Dou. Bowa,” she whispered.  
He could feel her lips, moist and chapped, and raised his face to the gentle sound. Saya held Haji close to her bosom and said.  
“It’s a magical way of saying ‘for the sake of good outcomes’”  
Confused by the soft touch of her chest, Haji muttered, “That’s rubbish. What do you mean ‘magical’? There's nothing good coming.”  
He expected her to raise her eyebrows and just push him away as usual, but she didn’t.  
“It seems that way doesn’t it … but if you stop wishing, it's really all over,” she replied. She couldn’t see his expression due to the tight embrace. After a few moments, she anxiously patted his head. It was like the first day they met, her lightly tracing hand. It was as if she were afraid to touch him like this, even though they she was trying to comfort him. Eventually, she ran her fingertips gently across Haji’s braided hair, brushing the ribbon of her choice. Haji had kept stubbornly braiding his hair. If one was going to buy something with money, it was better to stick with dolls she decided.

While still holding Haji to her chest, she said in a hazy voice,  
"Joel hugs me when I cry and tells me it’s going to be alright. Then I start to feel better ... what about you Haji?"  
Haji wondered if a lady such as Saya ever cried. Her embrace was so warm.

-Next morning-  
"Haji, hurry up! Because we are going out on a boat today!”  
Haji was already rushing to get ready when he heard the voice from the other side of the door. Haji wondered about the strange events of yesterday and sighed.  
"Haji I say!”  
Saya was in one of her moods and it felt like she was going to burst into the room they had given him. Seriously, getting up earlier than your servant? Haji fastened the last button on his shirt and put on his jacket. On the small table, the elaborately decorated accessory case spilled some ribbons from that first day with Saya. Astringent rouge, deep green, and the usual dark blue. Joel had said that one couldn’t force oneself to match Saya's tastes. However …  
"..."  
"Haaajiiiii,” Saya called in a loud voice, knocking on the door.  
Today, it wasn’t just that Saya was up, Haji was a little slower than usual. Today, he hadn’t woken from the dream of the smoke again.  
"Toushii. Dou. Bowa ... for the sake of good outcomes.”  
"Hmm,” Haji muttered, picked up a dark blue ribbon, and tied it into his hair.


End file.
